This book strung me in right away, I couldn't stop. What a great read! You really learn to love the main characters story.

The Younger Woman, by Cate Ray, narrated by Hannah Curtis, is a fabulous psychological thriller/domestic suspense audiobook. Empty nesters Gabby & Fred are still legally married but emotionally distant from each other. Enter Ellis, a seductive young woman with mysterious motivations. A very twisty ride. Highly recommend!!

The Younger Woman was definitely a solid thriller. When Gabby, a recent empty nester, realizes she’s ready to leave her cheating husband, she makes the mistake of admitting this to a stranger after one too many drinks. This woman is young, beautiful, and she’s also the one her husband is seeing. Next thing you know is a cat and mouse game between Gabby and Ellis. Ellis has an agenda of her own, and although I guessed what her secrets were, it was still pretty surprising by the end. It wasn’t the best thriller, but it did keep me interested throughout! I really enjoyed the narrator as well.

Ah, who among us hasn't had a drunken rambling conversation at a bar after an emotional event. Most people don't try to get their husbands killed though. But Gabby does.
Or does she? She can't hardly remember anything that happened, but she sets in motion some big wheels that cannot easily be stopped.
With the dual timelines, readers are able to see what happened to Gabby in the past and put together what it means now. Gabby herself, however, is unaware of what is coming. It culminates in some big events that change everything.
Oddly empowering for a thriller, I loved that part.

Thank you to NetGalley, Cate Ray, and Harlequin Audio for my advance copy of this audiobook.

3..5/5 stars—The Younger Woman is a slow-burn, domestic thriller. I went into it thinking it would be about a conniving younger woman breaking up a marriage, but it was more of a family drama across generations. There weren't many twists and turns until the end, but it held my attention enough to keep reading. I also enjoyed the audiobook narration! Read if you enjoy:

-Generational stories
- First and third person POVs
-Domestic thrillers
-Books about marital problems

Gabby and Fred are empty nesters after their youngest goes off to college and Gabby admits to herself (and a couple others listening) that she doesn’t like her husband. It’s an “ok” book. Of course the husband is cheating and then comes along a younger gal making things even more complicated. Lots of backstories on characters that didn’t quite make it all that interesting for me.

4.5 Stars – Twisty and Addictive!

This was such a fun, twisty domestic thriller! While I’m not in the empty nest stage yet, I could absolutely empathize with Gabby—her restlessness, her frustration, and that moment of impulsivity that sets everything in motion. Cate Ray does a fantastic job of building tension, keeping me second-guessing everyone’s motives, and weaving in just the right amount of psychological suspense. Ellis is an enigma, Fred has his own secrets, and as Gabby digs deeper, the stakes rise in unexpected ways. This was my first book by Cate Ray, but it definitely won’t be my last!

Thank you, NetGalley & Harlequin Audio, for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

To start, a not so friendly PSA that if the man cheats it is not the woman’s fault!! Yikes on the bikes the men in this book loved to blame the wrong person! Anyway, I loved this until about 80% of the way and then everything went to shit. Character growth came to a deafening halt and I got more and more frustrated. Ugh, so much potential wasted and for what? What was the message? I guess I’ll never know…

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC!! The narration was fantastic. The story possibly would have been more enjoyable if it was less than half the length.

Title: The Younger Woman
Author: Cate Ray
Format: 🎧
Narrator: Hannah Curtis
Publisher: Harlequin Audio
Genre: Mystery
Audiobook Pub Date was – February 25, 2025
My Rating: 2.5 Stars
Page 336

Gabby and Fred have been married for twenty-one years, but there is a distance between them that has been building especially since Fred has cheated more than once. When their daughter Alice is heading off to attend the University, Gabby almost cannot handle being an empty nester with Fred.
Gabby decides to stop at the local bar, but ends of drinking too much. She has been chatting with Ellis a young woman who is a stranger but confesses she wishes her husband was dead.

Story alternates between the POV of Gabby and Ellis then and now

This is a slow burn family’s drama that goes back generations and hints at secrets regarding Gabby’s farther.

Although I was curious, I did struggle with this. I have a difficult time enjoying a story if I find the character so unlikeable.

I am an audiobook fan and as any audiobook fan knows the narrator can make or break a story. In this case, Hannah Curtis did a great job portraying most of these characters. However her portrayal especially of Gabby gave me a negative impression. I wondered if I would have felt the same if I had read this story.

Want to thank NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this audiobook.
Publishing Release Date was February 25, 2025.

I tried really hard to get into this book, but it never quite clicked for me. I personally would have loved two narrators to clearly separate the different points of view. Unfortunately, I did not finish this book and stopped around the 25% mark. I do think I will pick up the physical book to continue the story!

I really disliked these characters, but, to be honest, they aren’t supposed to be likable. This was a very slow burn, but the ending make it worthwhile.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Not what I thought! I did not enjoy the first 2/3 of this book. However, the last 1/3 changed my mind. The twist is one I didn't see coming.

Huge thank you to Harlequin Audio for the gifted audiobook!

I was so excited for this one after I really enjoyed Cate Ray's previous book, Good Husbands.

I guess Cate really enjoys writing about dirty cheating spouses- LOL

I really wanted to love this one and while it was overall interesting, I feel like the synopsis gave so much of it away, I wish I had gone in blind.

I do love her writing though and hope that this is a huge success.

The narrator was very easy to listen to and was a great choice!

3.5 - Gabby knows her marriage to Fred has been rocky for years and she is finally done with it. Her daughter has moved away for school now so the kids are no longer a reason to stay together. When Gabby is approched by a young woman when she is out one evening, she doesn't know what to think about it. They start talking and the woman tells Gabby that she helps steal from men like Fred and she is willing to help Gabby too by seducing him to take advantage of him. While one of Gabby's biggest concerns in a divorce is losing the house she loves, she doesn't know if accepting help from this woman is a bad idea. She pushes the thought away and moves forward with telling Fred she is done and wants a divorce. But when she runs into Fred with the young woman from that night on his arm, Gabby has bigger fears of who this woman is and what she wants.

This book is told through dual POV and is one twisty ride. While the burn is a slow one, the ending packs a punch. The narrator did a good job, and the characters keep you hooked with their complicated relationships. While it isn't one that I will probably think back on, it was a solid and enjoyable listen.

I really enjoyed Cate’s last book, Good Husbands, and was excited for an opportunity to listen to this advanced audio. The narrator did an excellent job of portraying the emotions of both characters and keeping my interest in the story. Cate does a great job tackling domestic thrillers and displaying women empowerment. I really enjoyed the dual POVs and it was interesting seeing how their stories came together. It was more of a slow burn with built tension to a wild ending. I would say I wanted a little more in the end. It felt like everything happened so fast! Overall this was a good one, that I highly recommend on audio!

This one threw me for a loop!

Gabby and Fred have been married for a long time. As a matter of fact, their youngest (of two) has just gone off to college… and with this, Gabby realizes that she doesn’t even LIKE her husband anymore… [Believe me when I tell you she has a lot of good reasons for this!!]

She lets her husband know how she’s feeling, and, well, let the wars begin!!

One night she meets a young, beautiful, energetic woman at the local bar…and Gabby just might have one too many. With this, she tells ‘Ellis’ how she really feels about her husband… and that she wouldn’t mind if he were dead.😵

But, it’s just small talk, right? She’ll never see Ellis again…

And then, there’s a whole other side to this story…one that was not mentioned in the preview, and kind of threw me off a bit…. It revolves around Gabby’s childhood… and her parents… and THEIR problems…

Let me 🛑 STOP 🛑 right here, as I don’t want to give anything away! But, if I’ve gotten your attention, and this sounds like one you’d enjoy, look for it now! The release date is TODAY!! 2/25/25!

#TheYoungerWoman by #CateRay and narrated nicely by #HannahCurtis.

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #HarlequinAudio for an ARC of the audiobook… due out today! So, look 👀 for it on shelves now!

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me! Absolutely would’ve been 5 if I’d been able to figure out the other timeline before it was spelled out for me! 😬🤔

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This was pretty good. I finished it in one sitting. It is a slow burn so you definitely need to be in the mood for that if you want to read this book! It kept my interest enough to where the slow burn didn’t bother me. It gave me a sense of uneasiness. I did guess some of the twists, but it was still good.

Imagine feeling desperate about becoming an empty nester, but instead of that, you’re consumed by the thought that you despise your husband. This feeling even leads you to entertain dark thoughts.

After a few drinks, Gabby starts talking to a stranger named Ellis. She talks about her husband, Fred, and how she’s repulsed by him, even wishing him dead. Was it the drink talking, or is this something Gabby genuinely wishes would happen? Ellis takes this literally, and they open a Pandora’s box.

Fred has no idea what’s about to hit him. In fact, nefariousness isn’t just Gabby’s problem. Fred isn’t a saint. Secrets, lies, and manipulation intertwine as Gabby, Fred, and Ellis follow crazy paths that could end things for at least one of them.

Although this book was a bit of a slow start, this intense thriller really captured my attention. Then factor in an extra layer due to the spectacular narration by Hannah Curtis. Her performance truly brought this thrilling book to life.

Many thanks to Park Row and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

3.75/5 stars rounded up.

Gabby meets a woman younger than her named Ellis at the bar and drunkenly confesses to her that she wishes her husband Fred were dead. Gabby begins to search for Ellis and the truth while also trying to expose Fred's secrets.

I listened to the audio of this book and thought the narration was fantastic. I had no complaints at all. The narration was clear and easily understood and the voice acting was wonderful.

This started off a little bit slow for me and I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this one but it thankfully ended up picking up. I wasn't expecting the ending twist. It honestly wasn't even on my radar as being the reveal.

I wasn't a huge fan of the dual perspectives. I find that they're not my favorite unless they're really well done and this one wasn't bad but also wasn't incredible. I found myself in brief moments of confusion while I was trying to get reoriented with the POV. I think multiple POVs are a bit more challenging to keep track of as audio. Because of this, I think the book may have been a bit more enjoyable if I read the book alongside the audio just so I could visually keep track of where I was in the POVS.

I think the ending paid off and there was a lot going on for the last 1/3 of the book. I would definitely pick up another book by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC! All opinions are my own.